My Hidden Figures ReflectionBy: Breyonna Fox,
Blogging Intern with My Quest To Teach
Jacksonville, Florida
My first thought when I finished watching Hidden
Figures was, “Wow, they actually did all of those
things, like they accomplished their goals.” I thought
this was very inspirational, because back then it was
very hard for other races besides Caucasians, to do
the things they wanted and love. In the movie there
is a part when Mary Jackson’s husband even doubts
her accomplishing her dreams, showing how
un-motivated people were and how many dreams
were simply crushed and forgotten.

Then there was Dorothy Vaughn who wanted to be
a supervisor for her group of women who are highly
skilled with computers. She wanted to move on with
her dreams when she realized Katherine and Mary
was moving up with theirs. NASA wouldn’t make
her a supervisor though, she worked hard and even
acted like a supervisor to her group of woman. Then
one day she got a huge offer, but she would only do
it if her girls were with her as well. So they allowed it.
She finally became a supervisor. She is the first
African American woman to supervise a staff
at the West Area Computers Division. Another part
in the movie shows when she took her sons to the
library to get some books to help her out with work,
they ended up getting kicked out, just because
Dorothy needed the book, but the library was whites’
only.

It was upsetting to see how she couldn’t check
out the book and then the security guard pushed
her sons out as well. Then when she got on the
bus she still had the book on her and when her
sons asked why and she said she pays taxes
and those taxes help the library out. I know
Dorothy is a very witty and strong person. She
stayed determined in what she believed in and
knew she could accomplish her goals, she didn’t
leave her girls and moved them up with her.

Mary Jackson, wanted to become an engineer,
in the beginning she had doubts about it. She
was talking about it with her co-worker and she
said how impossible it felt, her co-workers told
her she could do it, because they were already
doing the impossible. I thought about what she
said and how she had hope that Mary could
accomplish her goals. It showed me even when
things feel impossible, they aren’t. She even
went to court to fight for what she wanted and
got night classes at University, an all-white
school! That was amazing. I really loved that part,
because that filled so much hope in Mary and
made her believe more in herself that she could
accomplish a lot more things after that, Mary
Jackson became the first female African
American NASA engineer. Mary is a sassy, brave
and determined for what she fights for.
Last, but not least was Katherine Goble,
she was strongly skilled in mathematics and
had an analytical mind. She got a new assignment
by Al Harrison, so she had to move to a new
part of the company.

When she was getting escorted, the woman told her,
“you will be the first black person here. Don’t make
me regret choosing you. Most people only last a few
days, so don’t get used to it.” Then when Katherine
entered everyone stared at her. Her co-workers were
rude towards her as well. She went to grab some
coffee and everyone was staring at her. She
immediately felt uncomfortable and sat down and
sipped her coffee slowly. After that incident they
got a second coffee maker and it said “colored”,
she went to use it, it was empty, sending a message.

This showed me how even though Katherine
accomplished her goals, there will always be people
trying to bring her down. Then she got upset and
explained to Harrison how rude everyone was acting
towards her and how she never got pearls and how
no one wants to use the same coffee maker as her,
since earlier she was always in the bathroom and he
would ask where she went. Then the next day he
tore down the “whites only” bathroom and the
“colored” signs and he said, “no whites or colored,
we’re all the same here.” That showed me how
Al Harrison really cared about Katherine as an
employee and he didn’t care about skin color.

Then when Katherine got engaged, her co-workers
got her a pearl necklace, which was Harrison’s ideas
too, which she wore to her wedding. Then later on in
the movie, when John Glenn was going to orbit
around earth, he said he only trusted Katherine with
her calculations and with his safety, he knew she
was brilliant and he only trusted her not the computer
machine. He was right too, he had trouble up in space,
but he got back safe.

Katherine played a huge roll in John Glenn’s journey
and Apollo space program landing a man on the moon.
In 2015, Katherine received National Medal of Freedom
from President Obama.

Breyonna Fox, blogger

This movie showed me that anything you set your mind
to you can accomplish. You just have to stay determined
and full of courage. This movie is very inspiring and
does prove to other women and girls they can do things
even when they feel it’s out of their reach.
Edited by Prof. William Jackson #MyQuestToTeach

Growing into an Editor – Publisher – Writer – Content Creator
Thought Leader – Video Blogger – Fashion Blogger
Daddy or Mommy Blogger – Intellectual – Author – Developer
and all around Geek and Blerd takes more than a desire to be
famous or infamous.

The opportunities available for those who have the desire to
grow into their passions of blogging. The possibilities are
endless and unlimited to share content with like minded people.
The power of blogging allows the writer to connect with others
that share their passions, goals and mission to build relationships
and create communities, either digital or real.

There is potential power in creating digital content that can build a
Brand and establish a person’s Niche. Being empowered with a
passion to create content must be followed by a plan to share and
eventually market that content.

Many people are learning how to be a journalist in dynamic areas
they are passionate about. In my Educational Technology and Social
Media class at Edward Waters College students blog each week on
what they are passionate about. They are reinforcing their writing
skills and building their literacy skills, reading abilities and increasing
their collaboration opportunities.

In the educational environment it is important to understand that
writing can build skills that can be used in business, commerce and
finance. Learning why writing is important and how to apply writing
abilities are vital to success in many careers. Students in HBCUs
or Historically Black Colleges and Universities are learning that
applying the skill of writing is allowing them opportunities in fields
not thought of before.

Blogging is not exclusive to writing: Tumblr, Instagram, Microblogging
on Twitter, Podcasting and even Vblogging or video blogging with
YouTube or Vimeo. The content is the glue that bonds the reader to
the creator and creates a relationship based on supply and demand.
Supplying content demanded by the readers.

Students from Edward Waters College will be attending
for the first time the FlBlogCon. Provided a unique opportunity
that will be engaging, interactive, eye opening and
transformative in how they see the integration of technology outside
of college and education.
Edward Waters College http://www.ewc.edu/

Choosing your Niche…..
what is your area of expertise?
who is your target audience?
what is your skill set that you can promote?
what training do you need to solidify and expand
your knowledge?
do you need further education?
do you need certifications?
do you need to attend conferences, workshops and summits?

The process of becoming a successful blogger seems
daunting sometimes, but is necessary to separate
from the pack that seems to imitate, immolate, copy
and simulate others. To separate yourself from the
pack it is important to be authentic and unique.
What do you have to offer that others do not?

Choose your Topics:what do you want to write about?
what is your background knowledge?
what do you want to accomplish ?
who do you want to connect with?
what are your associations?
are you involved in your community?
do you volunteer?

Do you show your Passion:
Topics are vast and unending, but what are you
knowledgeable about and passionate about?
When people talk to you, you should not have to
tell them your passions, they should see it in
your eyes, mannerisms, your expressions and your
behaviors online and off.

Create a Blogging Calendar:how often are you going to blog?
when do you want your posts to be published?
when are you able to sit down and write?
do you need to do research?
are you going to integrate video?
are you going to expand to a Podcast, Facebook Life,
Periscope or other Social Media platform?

Make Your Content Shareable:how can people access your content in SoLoMo
environments (Social Local Mobile) and on what devices?
what connections do you implement to allow readers to share?
do you optimize your photos and images for size and type?
do you encourage sharing?
sharing is caring?

Analyze your Analytics:take the time to study your data…
apply the information to expanding your blog in
diverse markets…
what does the data say about who your visitors are?
where are they coming from?
which tool meets your needs the best for which demographic?

Quality or Quantity:when is it best to work on a blog?when is it best to post a blog?how many do you write at a time?you should always go for quality not quantity
take the time to write, re-write and edit

Get your own Domain Name:this is your address, your personal site forposting content that represents you. your domain name is part of your Brand so choose carefully

Develop Your Brand:what are you known for? what do you want people to learn from you?your Brand is your promise for quality content

Uniqueness:people look for unique content that theycan identify with and follow….what do you have to offer in unique content?build your followers…

What is your mission for Your Blog:you have to determine the direction of your
blogging..
do you have a style?
do you have a growing relationship with readers?
are you being published someplace?
are you planning to make money or do you want
to provide just information ?

Florida Blogging Conference should help you
answer these questions and more. Figure out
ahead of time what sessions you want to attend
and how you are going to apply the knowledge
you gain.
Attendance is powerful, but the application of
what you learn at FlBlogCon is transformational.

Reading, Writing and Arithmetic: African Americans Get It Together
by William Jackson, M.Ed.
Parent, Educator, Blogger, Speaker
Community Activist, Mentor

Children, youth and teens embrace the diversity and
creative characteristics of STEM and learn to be
innovative in their words, phrases, and extension of
their views in society. It is wonderful to see a teen
excited about reading, writing and the process of
arithmetic, these are the areas that promote career
readiness.
Through the results of slavery, past and present and
colonization African Americans have been lead in ways
that have created separation and confusion within
themselves and within their communities.

What needs to be changed is the value and empowerment
of education in the African American community.
Education starts at home, the appreciation of learning
should start a birth when parents are reading to their
infants and toddlers as they grow.

African American children need to learn more about
themselves and their history. How will they know where
they are going if they do not know where they came from.
**Colonization has efficiently destroyed African American
children’s desire to learn their heritage in America and
their past. Those born during the 90’s and after seem to
have no desire to learn or to encourage their children
to study the past related to Africa.

African American children need to learn about diversity
and how it will affect their future in education and
employment. We live in a global economy so children
of color and culture need to be prepared.
**Too many times you hear African American children
share who or what they do not like, who they don’t want
to be near. This sets them up for failure as the diversity
of the work place increases.
**We are in a global economy and African American
children will have to work with people from all backgrounds.
If they cannot adapt and accept this they will struggle with
their identities and acceptance of others.

African American children need to see their family go to
work. They need to see people of color and culture get
up early and prepare themselves for the day’s business
of working to accomplish a goal.
**When you hear that African American children refuse
to get up and go to school or teens complain about getting
up to go find work this sets them up for failure and struggle.
That places a burden on their families as well because they
have to take care of children that were not given an
incentive to work for their wellbeing.

African American children that are not disciplined in the
value of education and the value of work grow up to
be lazy African American children and lazy African
American adults.
**One of the burdens of African American
parents is to raise children that do not see the value
of education and the value of preparation for
employment. Too many children of color and
culture are losing their values and parents are
not teaching survival skills.
**Children of color and culture must be taught
early to value being educated and starting their
careers to improve their lives away from home.
**Parents have to teach their children how to live
away from home.

African American children must be provided role
models of success to be successful themselves and
have a visual representation of what success is.
**Children must see success to model certain
behaviors of success.
**African American children must be taught the
terminology of success. If they want to be doctors,
learn to speak like doctors.

African American children need to be taught the
benefits of a routine, to be consistent and have
organization, responsibility and accountability.
**Before getting out on their own children of
color and culture often face challenges that
come from not being taught to be responsible
and accountable for their actions and behaviors.
**Parents need to expose their children to events,
activities, venues and places of diversity and
intellectual development.

African American children need to understand
information can be passed down from generation
to generation. Parents sometimes
forget they are their children’s role models.
**Children will do as their parents do and not
even realize it.
**When a child of color and culture does not feel
connected to their parents and their past they stray
at times to find their identities and role models they
connect with. The danger is when they disconnect
from their cultural identity to find one that is not
welcoming to their mental and spiritual growth.

African Americans children never need to feel inferior
to another culture or of another race.
**Parent of children of color and culture need to
take the time to teach and share the value of the past
to African American children. Studying the great
history of Africa and their contributions to the world.
**Too many children of color and culture deny the
darker color members of their culture because
colonization and slavery have brain washed them
into thinking that lighter skinned people are better.

African American parents need to monitor what their
children are watching and listening to so they
may intervene when negative images are shown.
**The media displays people of color and culture
as irresponsible, lazy and dangerous. Many times media
will use people of color and culture when it is beneficial
to their needs.
**African American parents need to analyze where
their children are getting their information from
about them and show them the truth.

African American parents need to explain violent
images shared on television that those images
are not true images of people of color and culture.
**Images from Empire and other entertainment
are not true representations of people of color and
culture.
**Images from violent movies and television are
sending the wrong messages that failure is to be
expected from people of color.
**The media shows other people being successful,
happy and children are blessed and happy.
*In media; music, movies and stories, children of
color and culture are always poor and guilty.

African American parents need to set a foundation
of structure for education and career planning.
**Those children with structure and have a plan
meet with less confusion and less stress than those
who travel through life without a plan and no structure.
**Setting a tone for structure comes with personal
discipline and responsibility. There is a time to study,
a time to work, a time to prepare, a time to follow
and a time to lead.

African American children need to be taught “why”
they are charged to do things. Each generation is
different and exposure to dangers that were not
a problem just years ago.
**Parents must not give up, they must steer children
in the right direction.

African American parents must teach their children
about the value of worship, not just what worship
is, but the importance of study and building a
personal relationship.
**There is a fire and passion children of color
and culture must have for worship. It must be
taught why they attend church, not why you have
to go to church. How to apply what is learned in
worship of real life issues.
**Children of color and culture must be taught
how to create an individual relationship with God
and the value of worship.
**Parents will be held accountable for their
children.

The value of reading, writing and arithmetic can
be seen in careers that embrace STEM and STEAM.
Parents of color and culture must prepare their
children for learning or they will be left behind,
not because they cannot perform, but because
parents are irresponsible and ignorant to the
value of education.

-------------------------
The Morgan Report
Education, Technology
and Social MediaClick Here
Interview on The Morgan Report
----------------Life Full Circle
Hosted by Miguel Lloyd
with Guest William Jackson